US, China Diplomats Hold ‘In-Depth Talks’ on Asia-Pacific Issues

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel J. Kritenbrink attends a press conference during the 10th U.S.-Philippines Bilateral Strategic Dialogue in Manila on Jan. 20, 2023. (Jam Sta Rosa/AFP via Getty Images)

Top diplomats of the United States and China held “in-depth talks” on Asia-Pacific affairs, including tensions in the Taiwan Strait, amid efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the two countries.

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong in Washington on Sept. 28, according to the State Department.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the two sides held “a candid, in-depth, and constructive consultation on regional issues as part of ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication.”

During the meeting, Mr. Kritenbrink emphasized the importance of a “free and open, connected, prosperous, resilient, and secure Indo-Pacific region and upholding the rules-based international order.”

They discussed the ongoing internal conflict in Burma (also known as Myanmar), North Korea’s missile threats, and maritime matters in the Indo-Pacific region.

Mr. Kritenbrink reaffirmed the need to maintain peace across the Taiwan Strait, where the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been escalating military drills to exert pressure on Taiwan, the self-ruled island that China claims as its own.

CCP Emphasizes ‘One-China Principle’

The Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that the two sides agreed to maintain communication on Asia-Pacific affairs.

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Mr. Sun “expounded on China’s position on the Taiwan question and emphasized that the one-China principle is the bedrock of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” the ministry added.

The CCP regards Taiwan as a renegade province that must be united with mainland China by any means necessary, even as Taiwan has been a self-governing democracy since the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949 and has never been controlled by the CCP.

The CCP sent 103 warplanes and nine vessels toward Taiwan within a 24-hour period between Sept. 17 and Sept. 18, with 40 of the detected aircraft spotted crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

Another 55 Chinese warplanes and seven vessels were spotted near the island on Sept. 19, with 27 planes spotted entering the southwest of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone.

In both incidents, Taiwan deployed aircraft and vessels to monitor the Chinese military’s movement. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has warned that the CCP’s actions could escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

Series of Discussions Between US, China Officials

The meeting followed other high-level engagements between the two countries that have seen visits from top U.S. officials—including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo—to China in recent months.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese deputy leader Han Zheng (R) shake hands while posing for photos in New York on Sept. 18, 2023. (Julia Nikhinson/Pool via Reuters)

More recently, Mr. Blinken met Chinese deputy leader Han Zheng in New York, and U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Malta.

Mr. Blinken said at the meeting that “the United States will continue to use diplomacy to advance U.S. interests and values and to discuss areas of difference,” according to the State Department.

Rep. Young Kim (R-Calif.), who chairs the Subcommittee on Indo-Pacific at the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the Biden administration’s move to engage with Beijing could embolden the CCP to continue its military actions against Taiwan.

“The CCP’s threats against Taiwan should not be taken lightly by the United States,” she told The Epoch Times. “The Biden administration’s repeated concessions to simply get a meeting with CCP are emboldening the CCP to continue its reckless behavior.”

“We have to continue to support our partners in Taiwan. We have to continue to make crystal clear that any action that undercuts their safety and security is unacceptable.”

Taiwan’s Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said last week that China’s recent military maneuvers around the island have been “abnormal.” The ministry said it was monitoring the CCP’s rocket and ground forces’ activities near Dacheng Bay in Fujian Province.

“Our initial analysis is that they are doing joint drills in September, including land, sea, air, and amphibious,” Mr. Chiu told reporters in Taiwan’s Parliament on Sept. 22.

Eva Fu and Reuters contributed to this report.